Greetings, all! Emma Alford here. You may have seen my name by our magazine’s calendar over the years—if not, nice to meet ya. Nicole has handed the ship over to your’s truly and she has left some big shoes to fill. We will miss seeing her name in the byline for our weekly roundup. Thanks for all your time and witty words, Nicole. I’ll be taking the helm from here on out.

Now, on to the good stuff. East Nashville Hope Exchange is hosting their annual fundraiser, big plans for some choice East Side acreage are in the works, a pet store has its grand opening and more.

On Friday, April 21, the lovely folks over at East Nashville Hope Exchange (ENHE) are hosting their annual wine tasting and silent auction—now in its 15th year. On our end, we will be giving away a pair of tickets to the event, but if you’re looking to set your plans in stone you can buy your tickets online now. Each year the event features wines from around the world, a silent auction, and some light entertainment. The “corkdorks” at Midtown Wine & Spirits will be providing the vino for the evening and it sounds like they’ve got some pretty bid-worthy items for the silent auction. Among the auction loot: a one-night stay at the Renaissance Nashville, a 5-day "brain camp" from Learning RX, and oodles of gift certificates to local eateries, shops, and more.

The event will be held at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church (419 Woodland St.) from 6 to 9 p.m. If you don’t know about the work that ENHE does, they’re a non-profit that supports literacy programs for at-risk children. They not only work with the kiddos directly but help to strengthen community and family involvement in youth education through summer and school year programs. The organization runs entirely on donations, grants and fundraisers like this auction. Last year the event raised roughly $28,000 for ENHE. Tickets available online for $35. If you’re the gambling type, look out for our giveaway.

You’ve probably seen the empty chunk of land near our "beloved" DMV on Hart Lane. The owner of the bar/music venue 3rd and Lindsley Ron Brice and architect Richard King have scooped up 35 acres of land between Hart Lane and Ben Allen Road. They have plans to turn it into an event space and beer garden-style lodge. The plot of land includes a hill that has one of the highest elevations in Davidson County (sounds like a great spot for NYE firework watching). They are hoping to have an indoor-outdoor lodge with a recording studio, plus an event space on the top o’ the hill. Brice and King are also shooting to have around 100 residential lots on half of the newly-acquired property; prices for the single-family homes starting around $250,000.

The project is piggy-backing on Metro Planning Commission's recent passage of the city's first trail-oriented development community policy. The policy calls for publicly accessible trails to connect all properties within an area that is underserved by existing greenways. These types of policies encourage “active” transportation, AKA more walking, biking, and dancing to nearby locations and less driving. This new development will have multi-use trails connecting to all parcels of the land, including Oakwood Park, and nearby schools Jere Baxter Middle and Maplewood High. Read more about what Brice and King have planned on the Tennessean.com.

Following the official opening, from 4 to 7 p.m. that evening they will host an art show featuring pet-inspired work from local artists. Proceeds will benefit local rescue organization Snooty Giggles. They will also have some tunes from local act Magnolia Wind to start the afternoon off.

The only thing we may love more than murals in East Nashville are our pets, so this new spot should be a hit. Owner Shawna Cohen believes it too, "It is heartwarming to know how much this community cares about their pets, which is why I'm so grateful to be able to share my passion for animals and to be able to provide superior nutrition choices and service."

-We mentioned it earlier this week, but the folks over at Kustom Thrills are celebrating their 10th anniversary this Sunday, April 2. Stop by to wish them a happy birthday and enjoy the free festivities while you're at it.

-Nashville Aikikai is looking to enroll students for their youth and adult classes—only $40/month, interested samurais should check their Facebook for more details.

-Our city’s progressive community station Radio Free Nashville is hosting its “senior prom” over the river at Yazoo Brewery on Sunday, April 2nd from 1 to 4 p.m. to mark their 12th anniversary. Prom attire encouraged, ideally less acne required.

-Want to learn more about fermenting foods and their health benefits? Turnip Truck East is hosting a DIY workshop for you. Space limited, snag your tix here.

-Funny moms: We dropped a line about this last week, but don’t forget to attend East Nashville's own Jenna von Oy’s book signing this Saturday, April 1 at Parnassus Books in Green Hills Mall.

-Feeling farmy? The Nashville chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier is hosting a daylong tour and dinner fundraiser to celebrate the farm culture of Bells Bend and surrounding areas. Les Dames is a worldwide philanthropic society of professional women in the culinary, fine beverage, and hospitality sectors. Grab your tix for Tour De Farm: Beyond the Bend here.